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A review by barefootmegz
Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury by Matt Richards
2.0
Freddie Mercury was more than a gay man. He was more than a man with HIV. But this book focuses so much on these two facts and fails to delve deeply into Freddie Mercury, the PERSON. Nothing in this book was entirely new: all the information could be gleamed from scouring Wikipedia.
Most annoying was the constant insets of the history of HIV. One isn't exactly sure what the point of this is, as HIV is ubiquitous enough that people who read books should have a basic understanding of it. Was the purpose to "absolve" Freddie - though he hardly need absolution? But then again, the book focuses so much on Freddie's sexual conquests that it hardly seems to be the case. That is another thing that irks me - how much is focussed on "promiscuity", again without delving deeper into what lies beneath this.
The authors call out homophobia, but the book is itself full of subtle homophobia - going so far as "blaming" Mercury's gayness on his being sent to an all-boys' boarding school.
The history of discography is great, and the details of Queen's development really proves once again what a magnificent band they were. A suggestion is to listen to Queen's music in between reading the book - it really adds something quite special.
Right near the end of the book, the authors manage to shed some light on Freddie, the person; but it seems a little too late. The last quarter of the book is certainly the best, and I'm happy I persevered to get there.
Most annoying was the constant insets of the history of HIV. One isn't exactly sure what the point of this is, as HIV is ubiquitous enough that people who read books should have a basic understanding of it. Was the purpose to "absolve" Freddie - though he hardly need absolution? But then again, the book focuses so much on Freddie's sexual conquests that it hardly seems to be the case. That is another thing that irks me - how much is focussed on "promiscuity", again without delving deeper into what lies beneath this.
The authors call out homophobia, but the book is itself full of subtle homophobia - going so far as "blaming" Mercury's gayness on his being sent to an all-boys' boarding school.
The history of discography is great, and the details of Queen's development really proves once again what a magnificent band they were. A suggestion is to listen to Queen's music in between reading the book - it really adds something quite special.
Right near the end of the book, the authors manage to shed some light on Freddie, the person; but it seems a little too late. The last quarter of the book is certainly the best, and I'm happy I persevered to get there.